Photo: Salem Police Department
No one has seen her for days.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on May 22, 2019
Police in Salem, Oregon are asking for the public's help when it comes to a breaking missing person case involving a mother and her young son. Usually, you only hear about cases like this after they have been solved. Now you have a chance to help the authorities and potentially bring a family back together again. This is the story of the disappearance of Karissa Fretwell and her toddler, William. We're going to break down what we know about the last few days. Where are Karissa and William Fretwell?
1. Mother And Son Missing
In Salem, Oregon, the friends, and family of 25-year-old Karissa Fretwell and her 3-year-old toddler son William Fretwell, known as Billy, are desperate for information. Neither Karissa nor Billy have been heard from or seen by anyone since May 13th. Currently, the police working the case will not definitively say that they fear the two Fretwells are in danger. According to her neighbors, Karissa and Billy were quiet and kept to themselves. Karissa is studying education at Western Oregon University while working as an overnight security guard. The car registered to Karissa is currently still parked outside of her home with the car seat for Billy still clicked into place. If they left of their own free will they did not leave in Karissa's automobile, an unsettling detail.
2. What To Look For
Currently, the authorities are looking for the help of people in the community and around the world when it comes to locating the missing woman and her young son. In order to make sure the public has the most helpful information possible, the authorities have released a physical description for both Karissa and Billy. If you live in the Oregon area and you're on the lookout, you should know that Karissa is very tall, just under 6 feet tall. She is also very thin, weighing just about 135 lbs. She dyes her hair, most recently it was dyed red, and her eyes are blue. Billy, the baby, is just three feet tall, weighs 30 lbs and has blue eyes and light blond hair.
3. Odd Occurrence
Prior to the Fretwells vanishing, a neighbor named Ronald Allen told the local news that two months before the pair went missing he noticed something strange going on at her home. While it can't be directly connected to their sudden disappearance, the police are examining each and every lead that comes their way in the hopes of locating the mother and son. According to Allen, he overheard what he believed to be a domestic argument taking place in the home. "We heard a man and woman arguing incredibly loud," Allen said. "The man was swearing a lot and there was a kid crying in the background, and the woman was yelling at him to get out of her apartment.
4. Security
Karissa had many friends in the Salem area. One of her friends who she enjoyed and trusted as a babysitter for young William was Meghan Harper. When interviewed by the local news Meghan shared that she was supposed to actually go over and sit for Billy on May 17th, but never heard from Karissa about confirming the date. In fact, Meghan says that the last time she even spoke to her friend on the phone was on May 11th. We all spend a lot of time chatting with our friends, but the reason this phone call stuck with Meghan was because Karissa had asked her to come over at a later date and help her install a new home security system. If that doesn't set off alarm bells, I don't know what does.
5. Please Help
Because this investigation into where Karissa and William are has only just begun, the police are relying on the public to come to them with any tips or clues or information that they think may be helpful to the team who are on the hunt for the missing family. You might think your information doesn't mean anything, but better to share what you know, no matter how inconsequential. Anyone with information about the case should call the Salem Police Tips Hotline at (503) 588-8477 and leave a message for Detective Jake Burke or call the Salem Police Department non-emergency number at (503) 588-6123.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.